BetterPhoto Q&A
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Lightning

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August 30, 2000

Remember *safety* when shooting lightning. You *don't* want to be operating a camera outdoors on a metal tripod if there is any chance *you* could be the victim of a lightning strike. Do this *only* when lightning strikes are in the distance, especially ground strikes. Failure to heed this could make your award winning lightning photo your last one too. (I've seen what lightning can do!)

Equipment required:
(a) sturdy, rigid tripod
(b) cable or remote release
(c) camera body that allows manual control of aperture and shutter speed, can be tripod mounted, will accept a cable or remote release, and has a "B" or "Bulb" shutter speed position for long timed exposures.

The cable or remote release has to be able to hold the shutter open for up to about 8 seconds or so. You want to be able to control how long the shutter is open.

Aperture:
This will depend on your film speed. Since you will be holding the shutter open much longer than a lighting strike lasts, proper exposure will be based on aperture alone, not the shutter speed. From the "Kodak Pocket Photoguide" (also on Kodak's web site):

ISO Aperture
64-100 f/5.6
125-200 f/8
250-400 f/11

Aim the camera on tripod in the direction of the lightning, using several strokes to adjust your aim. Set the aperture based on film speed and open the shutter using the remote release for up to several lightning strikes, but no more than about 8 seconds. If there are no strikes and you hit about 8-10 seconds exposure, close the shutter, wind to the next frame and open the shutter again. There is an element of luck to this. I used these recommendations for some lightning shots last month with good results.

Slower ISO 100 film usually works best! The ambient light in the night sky will not gray out the background of the lightning strikes (sky) as quickly with slower film speeds. Film faster than ISO 400 is not recommended.

Various films may not work well for timed exposures of 5-10 seconds due to an effect called "reciprocity failure." Reciprocity failure means you might need additional exposure (wider aperture) and you could experience imbalanced color as the color layers in the film begin to respond differently with very long shutter speeds. How long an exposure you can use before hitting reciprocity failure differs for each film. The data sheet for the film will tell you what the longest recommended shutter speed is before making exposure and color corrections (with filters).

Good luck and don't get struck!

-- John

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August 31, 2000